Shoes, ships and sealing wax…

Since I last posted, dear reader, it’s been a difficult couple of weeks. I will say no more on that matter, but thank you ladies, for being your utterly brilliant selves – you know who you are, and you know what you did. Thanks for your patience. Again.

All that aside, it’s been a few weeks of madness, mayhem, and utter chaos. That’s possibly what’s kept me from losing it completely. I’ve made more new friends, and managed to catch up with an old one. In fact, I managed to spend time with three of those I consider my best friends in two cities in one weekend. In the words of Simon Pegg’s Scotty: “I thought that was pretty good.” I also managed to eke my way back into the wonderful world of librarians and conferences – more exhausting that you would think – and I managed to spend a bit of time with pup before the nightmare of getting from one part of a small island to another with the joys of foggy weather playing havoc with early morning flights. I’m home again this weekend, and I really, really need it. Looking forward to a good night’s sleep, and the possibility of even sleeping in on Sunday. Novelty of novelties!

It’s funny, I mentioned a few posts ago something about finally finding me, and many people were quick to point out that you’re constantly finding yourself. I don’t dispute that at all. I merely wished to say that my irksome self and I were finally on the same page. Whether we were on the same paragraph may be slight more contentious, but we were at least in the same chapter… It’s made me review a number of things, which, I find myself not quite looking forward to, but at least not resigned to either.

The biggest one (and it will take me the next 7 or 8 months to really get used to the fact) is that I am going to need to go flatting again next year. Or boarding. I’ve known this for a while, but when I mentioned it to somebody last night, they agreed with my reasoning and suggested a possible flatmate. Now that would take (at least) 7 months to sort out, so I’m disregarding it. But back to the topic at hand. I’m almost surprised at how unsurprised I am by this. I love my space and my shoebox, and I certainly am able to exist without any hassles in my own, self-contained, (getting to the point where) the studio is a place to sleep, state of being. I guess that’s probably why I should re-enter the world of flatting. It makes for sense that way. Of course, I can always wish that people across the ditch can come work at the uni here and I can board with them… *hint hint, not so subtle nudge ;p* and then all would be good. But still, I have 7 months to think about it. And get used to the idea. Oh the pros and cons. Where to begin?

On a completely different pro-and-con segue of a knitting kind, I finished my brother’s Koolhaas on the weekend. Decent photo to come. It took a month. Seriously. I love Jared Flood’s patterns: I’ve knitted a few and I’ve a cart full of the rest on Rav, but this one actually bored me senseless. The good thing is it fit Boet, and now I need to steal it back to wash/block/photograph it. It’s in Bendi Luxury 10ply Denim. I thought a sproingy warm beanie that could be machine washed would be a good thing. So it was made. And I can see it will be worn. Great. I also finished the first of my heavily altered Temperance socks. I’ll be casting it off when I finish this post… and casting on the second Kells (to get that finished so I can start the second Temperance sock), this alternate sock thing has some merit after all… Old Port is stalled, so I may have to get going on that again in the next few days, I don’t think I’ll be wearing it at WWKIP in Sydney at any rate… But I’ve surrounded myself with yarn margaritas of silky merino, and lace, and possum-cashmere-merino, and silk-mohair. So much I want to knit, so little time… And the question of what to take to Sydney is starting to play on my mind… It’s all so very exciting. 🙂

My other big issue (and you’ll all laugh at me), it that I look back on the last 15-odd years, and what I’ve done, and I think “my god, I’m so boring compared to everybody else.” I’m being perfectly serious. I’m a librarian who loves to knit. Even my most sordid of tales are tame and not at all sordid. How perfectly… neutral of me. I know this is not necessarily a bad thing, but I feel disappointed with myself. I guess present circumstances may not help my mindset much, but I can still have an interesting life. I just have to figure out how to do it. Until that point, I will go and knit quietly in the corner and plot and ponder.

I leave you with some more brilliant pieces of yarning the Bard, courtesy of Gidgetknits and DrK writing graffiti my FB wall, and also commented on here…

Hamlet:
I did love novelty yarn once.

Ophelia:
Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.

Hamlet:
You should not have believ’d me, for alpaca cannot so
inoculate our old acrylics but we shall relish of it. I lov’d it not.

Ophelia:
I was the more deceiv’d.

Hamlet:
Get thee to a LYS, why woulds’t thou be a breeder of
eyelash yarn scarves?

O, that this too too solid feathers would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a nasty plastic ball, or that the yarn goddess had not fix’d her canon ‘gainst novelty knitter slaughter… how weary, stale, flat and unprofitable to me seem all the entries in the show/fie on it, ah fie, tis an acrylic cesspit, that grows to take over the cabinets/greenhowe clowns do possess it merely…

(by the fantastic DrK, on what I can only begin to guess was the Sydney show…)

Shall we be stopped? No! Because while I may be boring, at least I can live vicariously through my books. And I can yarn the Bard until the cows come home…

Peanut butter, bit of peeled apple, slippers… many things are of interest to the wee one! But don’t get too absorbed in trying to be interesting in layman’s terms… get absorbed in enjoying your life, whatever it is! Don’t forget, sometimes it’s NICE to have tea, a puppy, some knitting!

I think living vicariously through books is a wonderful life to live. I have been doing that since I was almost three and I hope I shall continue to do so. Pshaw to a boring life I say. I pooh-pooh hose people who think your life might be boring!!
Oh you are very brave to be flatting. When I state teaching it was the thing I pretty much hated most!: living in a huge hostel or a shared Ed Dept house.
Hope everything goes along more smoothly for you now Be Bloody, Bold and Resolute to Knit!!!.

I am loathe to flat again. Really, I am. It’s going to take *take* long to convince myself that flatting as a professional is nothing like flatting as a student, because that’s the image I have stuck in the forefront of my mind…

But you are lovely to pooh-pooh me and my insecurities. I did say you’d all laugh at me! I thought about just biting my tongue, but sometimes it does help to have people tell you you’re mad.

And books – it’s lovely to be able to read indulgently without guilt, but it’s hard work. Too many years of academic study needs to be beaten out of me to really enjoy my reading again. So I’m trying some completely different books to what I’m used to. It appears to be effective…

And rock on with the Yarning the Bard. Macbeth has some definite possibilities to work with…

oh sharing. eek. hard work. but good if you get the right person. i know what you mean about feeling life has passed you by in some regards, i was so busy being not boring that i missed the boat on some boring things i value now. its a hard balance to strike, as is being happy with where you’re at but still wanting to achieve more. and yes, something is indeed rotten in the state of easter show knitting.

Boring life? I would consider moving halfway across the world finding my passion and giving up meat less boring than a run of the mill “normal” person, who has no challenges or drive. Just my Stormer Supporting opinion!